Inside Jewish Bulgaria and Romania with University of Kansas Hillel

This trip, in partnership with the University of Kansas Hillel, will learn about the Jewish communities of Bulgaria and Romania and serve alongside JDC programs in the region.

The participation fee for this trip is $1000. This fee includes:

Rountrip airfare to Romania and from Bulgaria

Transportation within Romania and Bulgaria

Meals

Hotel Accomodations

Medical and emergency evacuation insurance

Site visits, briefings, tours, etc.

Bulgaria is a Balkan state located in the southern part of Eastern Europe and was part of the Soviet bloc until 1990, when it held its first multiparty election.

The Jewish community, primarily Sephardic Jews, numbered 50,000 prior to World War II and was largely spared during the Holocaust. Since then, however, most of Bulgaria’s Jews have immigrated to Israel, leaving behind a community of about 7,550.

Romania is home to a similar size Jewish community of about 8,000. Recent global economic events have only compounded the chronic and widespread poverty that has plagued Romania. The obsolete infrastructure that remained greatly hampered Romania’s transition to a market economy and continues to present social and financial challenges. JDC works to provide relief and revitalize Jewish life.

The group will have the incredible opportunity to explore Jewish life in Sophia & Bucharest, and spend time together with Bulgarian and Romanian Jewish peers, learning about Jewish life in their small but tight-knit communities and exchanging ideas and experiencing both the renewal of Jewish life and the continued need for social services. They’ll participate in a communal Shabbat program and experience Jewish learning and communal spirit.

Check back here for blog posts and photos from our experience.

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